Welcome
to the wonderful world of the human skeletal system! I know
you're just bursting with anticipation, eagerly awaiting
information on cartilage, joints, and marrow- or maybe you
just have a biology paper to research. Either way, we'll try
our best to accommodate you.

The
skeleton has several purposes which are vital to human life.
In the human body there are 206 bones of various sizes and
shapes that share the same main function, support. But not
only does it provide support, but it also stores calcium, a
vital mineral to human life, protects the inner organs
including the central nervous system, and serves as anchorage
points for muscles. The skeleton also allows humans to have
an erect posture, an important evolutionary advantage. The
skeleton of a human, as in most vertebrates, consists of bone
and cartilage connected by ligaments and tendons. The
skeletal system as a whole is divided into three parts: the
axial (the vertebral column, spine, and most of the skull),
the visceral (the jaw and the branchial arches), and the
appendicular (the hip and shoulder girdles and the limbs).
The different types of bones are also categorized into three
groups. There are the long bones (all limbs), short bones
(the wrist and ankle bones), flat bones (particular skull
bones, ribs, scapula, and sternum), and irregular bones
(facial bones and the vertebrae). The bones, joints,
cartilage, and ligaments work together to provide humans with
structural support and movement. Without a skeleton, each of
us would be nothing but a pitiful, gooey mess.